Velocipede-frame.



No. 650,555. Patented May 29, I900.

W. H. CROSBY.

VELOCIPEDE FRAME.

(Application filed Oct. 23, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Wiim'esses: 1720676507,".

THE NQRRIS warms co. Pum'aurum WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES l PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM H. CROSBY, or BUFFALO, New YORK.

VELOClPEDE-FRAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,555, dated May 29,1900.

Application filed October 23 1899.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. CROSBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented new and usefulImprovements in Velocipede-Frames, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to the joints or 'connections which are employedfor uniting the tubular members of velocipede-frames-such, for instance,as the crank-shaft hanger and adjoining tubesand in which a reinforcingor connecting thimble is employed which is fitted in a projecting collaror nipple of the hanger and receives the adjacent tube member of theframe. In such joints the ends of the tube members abut against theouter ends of the nipples carried by the hanger. These nipples areordinarily drawn out of the body of the hanger, and the latter is madeof heavier stock than the tubing of the frame, and in order to formaflush joint between the hangernipples and the tubing it has hithertobeen necessary to reduce the thickness of the nipples to that of thetubing by filing or otherwise, which increases the cost of the frame.The thimbles heretofore employed in such joints are also liable to bemoved inwardly out of place in the nipples of the hanger in passing thetube members over them, rendering it necessary to properly place thenipples before brazing the parts together.

The object of my invention is to provide a connection of this characterwhich produces a flush joint between the nipple of one member and theend of the adjoining member without the necessity of filing or fittingany of the parts and in which the thimble is at the same time reliablyheld against inward displacement in the nipple of the hanger or othermember, thereby reducing the cost of the velocipede-frame andfacilitating the assemblage of the parts of the joint.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation ofa crank-shaft hanger and the adjoining tubes of a velocipede-frameunited by my improved joint, the rear joint being shown in elevation andthe front and intermediate joints in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is adetached vertical section of one of the thimbles, showing the formthereof before its inner end is upset.

Serial No. 734,476. (No model.)

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in both figures.

A is a crank-shaft hanger of the usual cylindrical form and'a thecustomary short collars or hollow nipples which'project from the body ofthe hanger at the" proper angle to meet the adjacent frame-tubes B.

r C is one of the thimbles whereby the frametubes B are securelyconnected with the hanger. The thimble fits snugly in the nipple of thehanger and is provided with an external annular shoulder or offset 0,which bears against the outer end of the nipple, thereby forming a stop,which limits the inward movement of the thimble in the nipple. 7

The inner end of the thimble is flanged or upset against the inner sideof the hanger,- as shown at c,whereby the same is confined againstoutward displacement in the nipple. The shoulder 0 is formed by reducingthe inner portion of the thimble, and this reduced portion is originallystraight or unflanged, as shown in Fig. 2. The reduced portion of thethimble is inserted in the nipple from the outer side of the hangeruntil its shoulder c abuts against the outer end of the nipple, and itsinner end is then upset from the inner side of the hanger, as shown inFig. 1. The frame-tube Bis fitted over the projecting portion of thethimble and abuts against the outer end of the nipple, the abutting endsof the nipple and the tube being flat or straight, as shown. The stockof the hanger is heavier or of a larger gage than that of theframe-tubes B, and the nipples a, which are drawn from the body of thehanger, are therefore also thicker than the tubes. The nipples are ofthe same external diameter as the tubes, so that when a tube and itscorresponding nipple are joined together they are flush on their outersides, and an offset or shoulder d is formed at the outer end of thenipple on the inner side thereof, this ofiset being as wide as thedifierence in thickness between the nipple and the tube.

The enlarged outer portion of the thimble is made of the proper diameterto snugly fit the interior of the frame-tube, whereby the shoulder c ofthe thimble corresponds in width to the oifset cl at the outer end ofthe nipple and occupies the space at the end of the nipple not occupiedby the end of the tube. By this construction a strong flush joint isformed between the nipple and the tube without requiring the outer endof the nipple to be filed or otherwise reduced to the thickness of thetube, the diiference in the gage or thickness of the nipple and the tubebeing coinpensated for by the shoulder of the thimble, which is madewider or narrower, according to the-gage of the tubing which it isdesired to use. This produces a less expensive joint than one whichrequires the parts to be filed or fitted. The shouldered construction ofthe thimble also facilitates the assemblage of the parts preparatory tobrazing them together, as the shoulder of the thimble prevents thelatter from shifting inwardly out of place in passing the frame-tubeover the same. As the shoulder of the thimble and the end of theframe-tube both abut against the outer end of the nipple, these abuttingfaces can all be made fiat or straight and require no special fitting,rendering the joint comparatively inexpensive.

While I have herein shown and described my improved joint in connectionwith a bicycle-hanger, the same is obviously applicableto other membersof the frame-such, for

instance, as the steering-head and the tubes connected therewith.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a velocipede-frame, the combination withtwo tubular members arranged at an angle to each other, one of saidmembers being provided with a projecting nipple, of a thim;

ble fitting into said nipple and having its inner end upset against theinner side of the last-mentioned member and having an exter outer end,of a reinforcing-thimble having a reduced inner portion fitting intosaid nipple and forming with the large outer portion of the thimble afiat shoulder which bears against the flat outer end of said nipple andwhich is narrower than the thickness of the nipple, the inner end of thethimble being upset against the inner side of said member, and a secondtubular member fitting over the large projecting portion of said thimbleand having a fiat end which abuts against the fiat outer end of saidnipple, substantially as set forth.

\Vitness my hand this 20th day of September, 1899.

WILLIAM II. CROSBY. Witnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, V CLAUDIA M. BENTLEY.

